Narrow gauge adapter for vehicle lifts



July 8, 1952 T. E. REEDY NARROW GAUGE ADAPTER FOR VEHICLE LIFTS Filed June 7, 1949 IN V EN TOR. 7' 1200206 tifle ad BY W 1W ATT'YS The members H and R8 are provided adjacent one end with a series of spaced holes 2|, 22 and 23 to selectively receive a single bolt 24 that passes through the floor of the adapter runway [6 for securing the runway [6 adjacent each end to the tops of said angle bars with the aid of a thumb nut such as 25. The adaptation of the device to side car vehicles and othervehicles of larger but substandard wheel gauge is readily apparent and requires no further description. The removal of the adapter device of the invention, with or without the angle bars, is a matter of choice, but if the angle bars are disconnected it is unnecessary to also separate the runway lB fromsaid bars. The angle bars may be pivoted about .bolts 24 and disposed in the body lines of runway l6 if desired for storage, handling and'shipping purposes- A ramp member 26 is hinged to one end of the adapter runway IS in suitable manner.

. In the modified form of the invention, illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, I utilize a pair of brackets 2 arranged and adapted for removably connecting the adapter runway with an existing runway 28 of an hydraulic lift. The runways on the original lift are frequently provided with a longitudinal support such as an I-beam 29 to which they are rigidly connected.

Brackets 21 are alike and a description of one will sufiice. Two of these brackets are used, one near each end. of the auxiliary runway 30 and the latter is in turn adjustably mounted on the brackets to accommodate several difierent narrow wheel gauges.

In the arrangement shown the auxiliary or adapter runway 30 and its brackets 2'! are easily handled as a unit which is applied to or removed from the existing runway 28 without the use of tools; and the adjustment of the runway on the brackets is quickly efiected with only the changing of bolts with thumb nuts thereon.

The bracket 2! comprises a strip of suitable strength material having oppositely extending arms 3| and 32 which lie in slightly offset parallel planes and are connected at adjacent end by an integral inverted U-shaped member 33. The U-shaped member 33 is adapted to approximately conform to the upstanding leg or flange 34 of the existing lift runway 28 and to dispose the bottom face of arm 3| flatwise on and transversely of the top face of runway 28.

The extreme end of arm SI has a downwardly and outwardly directed L-shaped hook 35 which passes through a slot 35 in existing runway 28 and engages beneath the runway at one side of the support beam 29 thereof. A hole 31in runway 28 at the opposite side of the support beam 29 is adapted to receive a rigidly connected pin or stud 38 on the bottom of arm 3 l. The bracket 21 is applied by holding it upright in order to :enter the end of hook 35 into slot 36 and then swinging the bracket to a substantially horizontal position to enter pin 38 into hole 31 and .the leg 34 of the runway 28 into the inverted opening in the U-bend 33.

nut 41.

The center portion of adapter runway 30 rests on the bridge Id of the lift to which it is applied so that the brackets individually support only a small part of the entire load imposed on the runway 39. The latter will be observed to have relatively short spans between its center support on the bridge 54 and the end support brackets and a suitably reduced strength and weight of material is indicated for making the adapter readily portable and easily applied or removed by one man.

' The support brackets provide an easily applied and quickly removable connection with the existing lift. When connected as shown in Fig. 4 the brackets cannot be shifted radially about boltsAll in handling the device. If the outer holes 39 receive the bolts 49,1n adapting the device to the smaller or narrower gauge vehicles, a limited degree of radial shifting of the brackets may conceivably occur in handling the device, but such movement, if it should occur, is never suflicient to complicate the task of mounting and removing the device by one man.

A pair of removable wheel stops of suitable form (not shown) would be used on the adapter runway 16 or 3B in order to prevent a small car from rolling while elevated by the lift. These would in some cases be part of the equipment for existing runway 42 or 28 and could be transferred as needed.

The narrow gauge car adapters of the invention will be understood to be subject to minor structural changes within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

The salient feature of adaptability of the device to accommodate several different substandard wheel gauges of small vehicles including known small and midget cars'and side car arrangements in the same space that is used for all of the standard vehicles affords a maximum of space saving in the shops and service stations and a great convenienceand time saving 'for the mechanics and attendants.

What is claimed is:

1. In a narrow gage motor vehicle adapter for a vehicle lift having parallel runway channels one of which has a slot and a bore therethrough at opposite sides at a distance from each end, a pair of brackets each including an inverted U- shaped center portion adapted to seat overthe upstanding edge of said channel adjacent the bore, an integral arm extending outwardly of one side of the said center portion and adapted to seat on the channel, a pin in the bottom of said arm entering the bore in the channel, a hook on the end of the said arm removably entering through the slot and engaging beneath the said channel, an oppositely extending arm connected with the opposite end'of the center portion and having a plurality of perforations spaced lengthwise of said arm, a light weight adapter channel seated at opposite ends on the respective brackets and having a center perforation at each end forselective registry with a perforation in the respective arms, and means removably securing the ends of the adapter in adjusted position on I the bracket arms.

2. In combination a vehicle lift includinga runway channel having at a distance from each end a transversely spaced apart bore and slot, a

bracket for removable mounting on said channel in each bore and slot and comprising a pair of oppositely extending arms, an integral inverted U-bend connected at opposite sides to-the adjacent ends of said arms, a hookv on the end of one arm removably insertable through the slot and engageable beneath the channel, a mum the bottom of said arm for entry in the bore in the channel and together adapted to non-shiftably seat said arm transversely on the top of channel with the said U-bend astride the upturned edge of the channel, the other of said arms having a longitudinally spaced series of perforations therein, an adapter runway having a center perforation ateach end adapted for registry with a se- 15 2,1 8, 24

lected perforation in one of said other arms of the several brackets and a bolt member removably securing said adapter runway in said position on said arms. v

THOMAS E. REEDY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 798,683 Ketteman Sept. 5, 1905 1,926,368 Bristol Sept. 12, 1933 Musgrave Aug. 8, 1939 

